Head restraint device

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a head restraint system for supporting the head of a person wearing headwear while seated. The head restraint is comprised of a headwear portion and a rear mounting portion. The headwear portion is comprised of an article of headwear with one part of a fastener attached at the rear of the headwear. The rear mounting portion comprises the other part of said fastener attached to the rear mount such that a user wearing the headwear may lean his or her head against the seat thereby engaging the parts of the fastener and intern restraining the users head. In some embodiments, the rear mount is the back of a seat, and in other embodiments a separate rear mounting fixture is provided.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present Utility patent application claims priority benefit under 35U.S.C. 119(e) of the provisional application for patent No. 60/553004filed on Mar. 12, 2004.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to the field of safety headrestraints. More particularly, the invention relates to head restraintsused to limit head movement when seated.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Head restraints have been known for many years in the prior art, yet feware geared to support the wearer's head if the wearer looses headcontrol. Some known patents in the prior-art are designed for thispurpose. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,339,151 shows a head restraint inthe Figures that utilizes a strap, which is tied around the back ofchair with strings. A headband is placed around the wearer's foreheadand is either riveted to strap or attached by a cord to strap at asingle point. This approach is generally useful when being discreet isnot important and the application permits such a relatively complexinstallation.

Another technique is shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 of U.S. Pat. No.4,707,031 where a head restraint includes a seat band, which is securedaround the head rest portion of the seat. A band is secured at the backof the band and along both sides to a securement band and is wrappedaround the wearer's forehead and secured by a “Velcro” type securement.As with the previous approach, the attachment of the wearer's head tothe seat is by indiscreet means.

The Ross U.S. Pat. No. 6,301,716 shows a head support assembly forphysically disabled persons and includes a headband 16, which is looselysupported to a seat back by a pair of cords 20 and 22. This device isdesigned to permit a substantial amount of movement of the wearer's headand would be inappropriate for supporting the wearer's head whilesleeping. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,266,825 provides for an indiscreethead support mechanism by way of an adhesive strap secured to a seatharness and a head harness secured by a loop that passes over thewearer's forehead, but does not surround the wearer's head. U.S. Pat.No. 6,607,245 is another example of an indiscreet head support devisefor use during sleeping.

In view of the foregoing, there is a need for improved techniques forsimple, discreet seat head restraints such that a casual observer of thehead restraint wearer is likely unaware of the head restraint.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by wayof limitation, in the Figures of the accompanying drawings and in whichlike reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a back view of the headwear portion of the preferredembodiment of the present invention

FIG. 2 illustrates a front view of the seat portion of the preferredembodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates an unattached side view of the preferred embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of the preferred embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates an attached side view of the preferred embodiment.

FIG. 6 illustrates how to attach the fastener that is attached to theheadwear portion in an alternate embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates the side view of how to attach a clip to the headwearportion in an alternate embodiment.

FIG. 8 illustrates a side view of the seat portion in an alternateembodiment.

FIG. 9 illustrates a front view of the seat portion in an alternateembodiment.

FIG. 10 illustrates a top view of the seat portion of an alternateembodiment.

Unless otherwise indicated illustrations in the Figures are notnecessarily drawn to scale.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To achieve the forgoing and other objects and in accordance with thepurpose of the invention, a seat head restraint is described.

An aspect of the present invention provides for a head restraintsupporting the wearer's head while seated, which head restraint supportsthe wearer's head to thereby limit the movement thereof if the wearerfalls asleep, for example, while seated. In one embodiment of thepresent invention, the head restraint is comprised of a headwear portionand a rear mounting portion. The headwear portion is comprised of anarticle of headwear with one part of a fastener attached at the rear ofthe headwear. The rear mounting portion comprises the other part of thefastener attached to the rear mount such that a user wearing theheadwear may lean the wearer's head against the seat thereupon engagingthe parts of the fastener consequently restraining the users head. Insome embodiments, the rear mount is the back of a seat, and in otherembodiments a separate rear mounting fixture is provided.

Other features, advantages, and object of the present invention willbecome more apparent and be more readily understood from the followingdetailed description, which should be read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is best understood by reference to the detailedFigures and description set forth herein.

Embodiments of the invention are discussed below with reference to theFigures. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate thatthe detailed description given herein with respect to these Figures isfor explanatory purposes as the invention extends beyond these limitedembodiments.

The present invention is directed towards head restraints for supportingthe wearer's head while seated. In an embodiment of the present headrestraint system a headwear portion and a seat attachment portion isprovided, whereby the user's head is adequately secured to the headwear,which headwear is adequately to the seat attachment portion, therebysufficiently securing the user's head to the seat.

A multiplicity of suitable headwear devices are contemplated that may beconfigured according to the teachings of the present invention. Theheadwear should preferably have a comfortable and secure fit with thewearer's head and have a rear location where an attachment means can befixedly joined. For example, FIG. 1 illustrates the back of a baseballcap embodiment adapted in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention wherein headwear portion 5 comprises a headwear 1, shown as abaseball cap, and an attachment means 2 is fixedly joined with headwear1. In this embodiment, a Velcro attachment system is shown. Moreover, inthe Figure, attachment means 2 is shown to be joined at the bottom,backside of headwear 1, however, those in the art will appreciate thatany suitable location may be selected according to the application anddepending on where the desired point of headwear fixation is located. Aseat portion 6 according to an embodiment of the present invention isshown in front view in FIG. 2 and includes a seat back 4 and attachmentmeans 3, which removably mates with attachment means 2 of FIG. 1 with asufficient attachment force for the application. Attachment means 3 isfixedly joined to seat back 4 using known methods suitable for the typeof attachment system selected for the application as described in moredetail below.

FIG. 3 illustrates a vertical profile of the relative orientationheadwear portion 5 prior to being removably attached to seat portion 6in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Headwearportion 5 is engaged onto seat portion 6 by moving headwear portion 5backwards until attachment means 2 and attachment means 3 aresufficiently engaged and attached to one another, thereby securingheadwear portion 5 to seat portion 6 as shown in FIG. 4, whichillustrates a top view of the attachment between headwear portion 5 toseat portion 6.

FIG. 5 illustrates the side, profile view of user 7 wearing headwearportion 5 when it is attached to seat portion 6 in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. When engaged as shown the presentheadwear attachment system made according to the present inventionadequately secures the users head to seat back 4, while being relativelyunnoticeable and discreet. The proper selection and implementation ofheadwear portion 5 and seat portion 6 will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art depending on the aesthetic and performanceconstraints of the application. By way of example and not limitation, ifthe user is a baby or child sitting in a car seat then this embodimentof the present invention may be a baseball cap headwear with the firstpart of a self-adhesive Velcro system joined to the back of the baseballcap at a suitable location to conveniently attach with the second partof the self-adhesive Velcro system, which is joined to the car seat atconvenient location relative to the user's comfortable head orientation.To disengage the present head restraint system, suitable force isapplied to separate attachment means 2 and attachment means 3 from oneanother. This can be accomplished by the user or another person.

A multiplicity of known alternative attachment means are contemplatedwhich achieve the foregoing requirements. By way of example, and notlimitation, suitable attachment means include hook and loop Velcro andsnap fasteners, which may be self adhesively, glued, sewn, or otherwisesecured in place by known techniques. The strength, size, andimplementation of the attachment means depends on how much attachmentforce is required to hold the users head in place during peak andaverage loading, and is well within the averaged skilled artisan toproperly select from known approaches.

It should be appreciated that headwear 1 is understood to encompass allsuitable and common headgear in accordance with the teachings of thepresent invention, including, but not limited to, hats, caps, visors,turbans, hoods, hoods built into other items, head scarves, and headstockings. Alternative headwear embodiments of the present invention(not shown), also include other suitable items normally worn on thehead, for example, but not limited to, eyeglass lanyards, eyeglassrestraints, earmuffs, and head wrapping earphones.

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention, which isa variation of the embodiment, where, instead of the attachment meansbeing directly on the headwear, it is adhered to a sleeve 8 which isslipped over the headwear at an appropriate location, such as atheadwear strap 9.

Similarly, other alternative embodiments of the present inventioninclude attachment means, which are readily joined and removed from theheadwear as shown in FIG. 7. For example, the attachment means may beVelcro fixedly adhered to a clip 10, which is clipped onto headwear 1.

Yet other alternative embodiments of present invention implement avariation of attachment means 3 of FIG. 1 whereby seat attachment means11 is instead attached to seat attachment strap 12 at its headwearengagement end as shown in FIG. 8, which is joined, by sewing it inplace for example, at its opposite seat attachment end to seat back 4.With this approach, headwear portion 5 is strapped to seat back 4 whenthe user wearing headwear portion 5 engages attachment means 2 and seatattachment means 11, thereby restraining the users head to seat back 4via seat strap 12. The length of strap 12 is chosen according to thedesired range of motion for headwear portion 5, and, in turn, thewearer's head. Alternate embodiments of this approach may have the seatattachment end of seat strap 12 attached at more distant locations ofthe seat or even at appropriate location off the seat such that headwearportion 5 is suitable restrained according to the requirements of theparticular application.

Yet other alternative embodiments of present invention implement avariation of attachment means 3 of FIG. 1 whereby seat attachment means11 is instead attached to seat attachment strap 13 at the strap headwearengagement area and also such that strap 13 is then strapped to the seat4 in one of a variety ways with one such example shown in FIGS. 9 and10.

Furthermore, some embodiment of the present invention may have the seatportion manufactured as a part of seat back 4 in compliance with theteachings of the present invention. Similarly, some embodiment of thepresent invention may have the headwear attachment means manufactured aspart of the headwear.

Those in the art will readily appreciate that the described embodimentsof the present invention is suitable to assist a user, especially achild, while sleeping in a car seat by providing a head restraint, whichsupports the user's head to limit the movement thereof if the user fallsasleep while seated or otherwise needs head restraint.

Having fully described at least one embodiment of the present invention,other equivalent or alternative methods of implementing a head restraintsystem according to the present invention will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art. The invention has been described above by way ofillustration, and the specific embodiments disclosed are not intended tolimit the invention to the particular forms disclosed. For example, theparticular implementation of the attachment means may vary dependingupon the particular requirements of the application. Whereby, in somealternate embodiments, the attachment means of the headwear and seatportions can be replaced with one or more known types of fasteners,snaps for example, and are contemplated as within the scope of thepresent invention. The invention is thus to cover all modifications,equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of thefollowing claims.

1. A head restraint apparatus comprising: at least one fastener having afirst and a second fastening portions; an article of headwear, whereinsaid first fastener portion is joined to a rear portion of said headwearand said second fastener portion is joined to a mounting area on theback of a seat such that said first and second portions are operable tobe fastened together while a person wearing the article of headwear issitting in a normal sitting position in the chair.
 2. The head restraintapparatus of claim 1, wherein the article of headwear is an eyeglasshaving an attached lanyard, and said first fastener portion is joined tothe lanyard.
 3. The head restraint apparatus of claim 2, wherein saidfirst portion of said fastener is fixedly joined onto a sleeve, whichsleeve is operable to be removably joined to the lanyard by sliding thelanyard through the sleeve.
 4. The head restraint apparatus of claim 1,wherein said fastener is a Velcro system.
 5. The head restraintapparatus of claim 1, wherein said first portions of said fastener isVelcro hooks and said second portions of said fastener is the materialof the seat, which material comprises small loops that are operable toremovably fasten to the Velcro hooks.
 6. The head restraint apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the article of headwear is a baseball cap.
 7. The headrestraint apparatus of claim 6, wherein said first portion of saidfastener is fixedly joined onto a sleeve, which sleeve is operable to beremovably joined to the baseball cap by sliding a detachable adjustmentstrap at the rear of the baseball through the sleeve.
 8. The headrestraint apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fastening of said first andsecond portions of said fastener is removable.
 9. The head restraintapparatus of claim 1, wherein the fastening of said first and secondportions of said fastener is permanent.
 10. The head restraint apparatusof claim 1, wherein said first portion of said fastener is fixedlyjoined onto a clip, which clip is operable to be removably clipped ontoto the article of headwear.
 11. A head restraint apparatus comprising:at least one fastener having a first and a second fastening portions; anarticle of headwear, wherein said first fastener portion is joined to arear portion of said headwear and said second fastener portion is joinedto a mount, said mount being located near the back of a seat such thatsaid first and second portions are operable to be removably fastenedtogether while a person wearing the article of headwear is sitting in anormal sitting position in the chair.
 12. The head restraint apparatusof claim 11, wherein the article of headwear is an eyeglass having anattached lanyard, and said first fastener portion is joined to thelanyard.
 13. The head restraint apparatus of claim 11, wherein saidmount is mounted onto a rigid structure.
 14. The head restraintapparatus of claim 11, wherein said mount is mounted onto the seat. 15.The head restraint apparatus of claim 11, wherein said mount is a raisedhead support portion manufactured as part of the seat.
 16. The headrestraint apparatus of claim 11, wherein said fastener is Velcro system.17. The head restraint apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fastening ofsaid first and second portions of said fastener is removable.
 18. Thehead restraint apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fastening of said firstand second portions of said fastener is permanent.
 19. The headrestraint apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first portion of saidfastener is fixedly joined onto a clip, which clip is operable to beremovably clipped onto to the article of headwear.
 20. A head restraintapparatus comprising: an article of headwear, and means for joining thearticle of headwear to a mounting area that is operable to join withsaid joining means while a person wearing the article of headwear issitting in a normal sitting position in the chair.